Forest City Enterprises Inc.

Brian J. Ratner is President of East Coast Development for Forest City Enterprises Inc. He oversees new commercial development east of the Mississippi River outside of New York and Boston. In addition, Ratner is a member of Forest City's board of directors. Ratner's experience with Forest City began in 1987 as assistant vice president of Forest City Finance Corp. He became president of Tower City Retail, Inc. in 1993, and vice president of Forest City's Urban Entertainment unit in 1993. He assumed his current role in 1997. Before joining Forest City, from 1983 to 1987, Ratner was an associate with K&L Gates in Seattle. Ratner is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Urban Land Institute. He also serves as a trustee of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum and Case Western Reserve University. Ratner holds a bachelor's degree from George Washington University and a law degree from the University of Puget Sound School of Law.

Charles L. Rau joined Forest City Enterprises, Inc., as vice president and chief technology officer in April 2002. Rau has more than 25 years of experience in the implementation and management of technology, including information systems. Prior to his arrival at Forest City, Rau was senior vice president, chief technology officer for HNTB (Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergendoff) Corporation, an architectural and building engineering firm based in Kansas City. While at HNTB, he led the information technology initiatives for the company. Among other ventures, Rau has worked as an international and domestic technology consultant. He spent 10 years with a French company, Hennigson, Durham and Richardson (HDR). Prior to HDR, he worked for Kiewit Construction Company, one of the world's largest construction companies. In 2007, Rau was named “CIO of the Year” by the Northeast Ohio Software Association. Rau has a master’s of business administration from the University of Nebraska and bachelor’s of business administration form Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, Iowa.

James J. Prohaska is executive vice president and chief operating officer of Forest City Residential Group, which comprises all of the multifamily residential ownership, development, management and financial activities of Forest City Enterprises, Inc. The Residential Group's portfolio includes more than 34,000 units in nearly 120 urban and suburban apartment communities in 15 states and the District of Columbia. Types of properties include apartment communities, mixed-use, adaptive re-use and supported living properties. Prohaska has been in the commercial and residential real estate industry with Forest City since 1974, when he joined the firm as a controller. He became assistant vice president in 1978, took on the role of executive vice president in 1989, and assumed the additional responsibilities of chief operating officer in 1995. Prohaska is a graduate of John Carroll University with a degree in accounting. He is a certified public accountant.

John S. Lehigh is the president and chief operating officer for Forest City Stapleton, Inc., the development company that is transforming the former Stapleton International Airport into a new community of 12,000 homes, 35,000 jobs and more than 1,100 acres of parks and open space. He brings more than 30 years of major real estate development experience to his role in overseeing the transformation of Stapleton into a mixed-use community of urban villages organized around neighborhood town centers that include parks, schools, public buildings, multi-modal transportation, employment and retail. His office is also responsible for the 160 acre Colorado Science and Technology Park at Fitzsimons. Lehigh moved to Denver in 1991 to become the executive director of the Denver Metropolitan Major League Baseball Stadium District, where he was responsible for all aspects of the development of Coors Field, a 50,000-seat baseball park that is the home of the Colorado Rockies. Prior to relocating to Denver, he served as vice president of design and construction for Prentiss Properties (formerly Cadillac Fairview), a national real estate development company, where he was involved in the design of all of the company’s projects, and oversaw the activities of his construction staff. Lehigh’s previous experience includes his role as the associate director in the engineering division with the Procter & Gamble Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. During his years there, he was responsible for the design and construction of its world headquarters building in downtown Cincinnati. Lehigh holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in civil engineering from the University of Nebraska. He is a registered engineer in Ohio, Texas and Colorado.

Linda M. Kane is the senior vice president, chief accounting and administrative officer of Forest City Enterprises, Inc. She joined Forest City in 1990 as financial manager for Forest City's Residential Group, became asset manager for Forest City's Commercial Group in 1992 and was Forest City’s corporate controller from 1995 to 2007. Prior to joining Forest City, Kane was a senior manager at Kopperman & Wolf CPAs, where she was responsible for audit, tax and consulting services for the firm's largest real estate client. She has almost 30 years of experience in the real estate industry. Kane is a CPA and holds a bachelor’s degree with an accounting major from Cleveland State University. She is a member of the Visiting Committee of the Nance School of Business Administration at Cleveland State. Kane is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants and Commercial Real Estate Women. As an active member of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), Kane is the co-chairman of the organization’s Best Financial Practices Council. She has served as treasurer of the Great Lakes Theater Festival and St. Joseph Academy, a private girls' high school in Cleveland – of which Kane is an alumnae – and was a trustee of the YWCA of Greater Cleveland, from whom she received the Women of Achievement Award.

Andrew J. Passen is executive vice president of Human Resources for Forest City Enterprises. Passen is responsible for developing and implementing the company’s “human capital” strategy which is focused on attracting, developing and retaining the high caliber of employees and professional talent that have been a hallmark of Forest City throughout its history. In addition to the compensation and benefits functions, reporting to Passen are HR generalists who serve as strategic partners to the Residential, Commercial and Land SBUs, as well as to individual corporate departments. In addition, Passen has responsibility for the Company’s diversity and inclusion initiatives. Passen joined Forest City in April of 2006 but has been associated with the company as a consultant since 2001. Prior to becoming a member of Forest City’s executive team, he was a founder and partner in the firm of O’Brien, Passen and Associates, a consultancy of organizational psychologists providing executive development, selection and change management services to companies in the U.S. and Europe. A member of the American Psychological Association, Passen also belongs to the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychologists, the American Management Association, the Society of Human Resource Management and The Urban Land Institute. Passen earned his Ph.D. from Kent State University and a Master of Arts in Psychology from Cleveland State University. He earned his undergraduate degree at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Bruce C. Ratner is chairman and CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC), the New York City subsidiary of Forest City Enterprises, Inc. He is also a member of the board of directors of Forest City Enterprises. Ratner has led FCRC to prominence as one of the foremost urban real estate developers in the U.S. He is a respected business and civic leader in New York, with a distinguished career in the public and private sectors. FCRC was New York City's most active developer during the 1990s, and is currently involved in development in all five New York City boroughs. In 1992, Crain's New York Business selected Ratner as the top New York City executive in the fields of real estate, finance and insurance. Crain's New York also honored him in 2002 as one of New York's most influential business leaders. In 1994, he was awarded the New York State Governor's Arts Award. And in 2007, Ratner was named “Developer of the Year” by Commercial Property News. Prior to joining Forest City, Ratner held prominent positions in New York City’s political arena as well as the prestigious New York University Law School. From 1978 to 1982, Ratner served as commissioner of consumer affairs during New York City Mayor Ed Koch's Administration. Before that, he spent four years working as a professor at the New York University Law School. From 1970 to 1973, he was director of the Model Cities Program and head of the Consumer Protection Division in New York City Mayor John Lindsay’s Administration. Ratner is a board member of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the City Parks Foundation, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the Weill Cornell Medical College. Ratner is a 1967 cum laude graduate of Harvard University and a 1970 graduate of Columbia University Law School.

James A. Ratner is chairman and CEO of the Forest City Commercial Group, the commercial real estate development and management division of Forest City Enterprises, Inc. The Forest City Commercial Group is responsible for the development of all retail, commercial and mixed-use development at Forest City. The group has fully staffed offices in Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Chicago and Denver. Forest City’s strategy has emphasized the development of urban retail and mixed-use properties and non-conventional regional and lifestyle centers. Ratner holds a bachelor’s degree Columbia University and an MBA from Harvard University. He is a member of the board of trustees of The Cleveland Museum of Art, Urban Land Institute, The Playhouse Square Foundation and The Cleveland Foundation.

Geralyn (Geri) Presti is presently employed as general counsel, senior vice president and secretary at Forest City Enterprises, Inc., one of the nation’s largest publicly traded real estate companies. Her areas of law practice include real estate development and financing, corporate and securities law. Presti is a frequent speaker on topics related to real estate development and financing, corporate governance, in-house corporate law practice, diversity and community involvement. Presti received her Bachelor of Music degree from Ohio University, where she majored in Music Therapy. For the next five years, she worked as a registered music therapist at The Cleveland Music School Settlement. Presti left this position to return to graduate school at Case Western Reserve University, where she received the joint Master of Social Science Administration and Juris Doctor (Law Review, Magna Cum Laude and Order of the Coif) program degrees from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences (MSASS) and the School of Law, respectively. While at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Presti’s graduate studies focused on community organization and planning. Presti was elected to the Society of Benchers by the Board of Governors of the CWRU Law School. She is among the first Corporate General Counsels, nationally, to receive the Burton, “Legends of the Law” award for legal achievement, and was selected as a 2007 Rainmaker by Northern Ohio Live magazine. Presti has been selected to receive the Centennial Medal award from the CWRU Law School in November, 2008. She is a recipient of the 2008 American ORT Jurisprudence Award, selected by the local ORT America Chapter. She has been chosen by a statewide peer nomination process by Key Professional Media, Inc., as an “Ohio Super Lawyer” for the last four years and is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell. In 1996, Presti was awarded the YWCA “Women of Achievement Award for Professional Excellence” recognition. Present professional affiliations include the Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where she serves on the Board of Trustees of the L.L.M. Program for U.S. Legal Studies, the Strategic Planning Committee and the Dean’s Visiting Committee (Executive Committee); the Boys and Girls Clubs of Cleveland; the Cleveland Music Settlement (former Vice Chairman, Vice President, Treasurer, Chairman of Finance, and Governance Committees, Strategic Planning and Executive Committees); the Greater Cleveland General Counsel Association (Trustee); Business Volunteers Unlimited (Co-Chair Governance Committee, Executive Committee and former Vice Chairman); Chicago Title Insurance Company Advisory Board; and In Counsel With Women. Presti participates in the regional and national meetings of the International Council of Shopping Centers, as well as the Cleveland Chapter of the Society of Corporate Secretaries. She is a member of the Case Western Reserve University Executive Committee for their capital campaign. Presti was inducted into the Sovereign Order of St. John and participates in their mission to serve the poor and the sick. She raises funds to benefit various charitable and educational organizations, including the United Way (formerly a member of the Professional Services Cabinet), the Ohio Kidney Foundation and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Presti recently assisted the YWCA in crafting their formal strategic planning process.

Allan C. Krulak is vice president, director of community affairs, Forest City Enterprises, Inc. Krulak, who has been with Forest City since l973, is the driving force behind the Company’s commitment to community interests and service. He is also the political liaison for our corporate office, both locally and nationally, and his constant presence in the business community helps drive many of Cleveland’s initiatives forward. Krulak himself is involved in many organizations, such as Cleveland State University, National Association of Homebuilders, Ohio and Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor, Ohio Homebuilders, United Way, Cleveland Leadership Center, Downtown Cleveland Alliance and many charitable organizations. He currently serves as chairman of the board of the Ohio Lottery. He continues to be an adviser to many elected officials, and has been elected to public office nine times, serving more than 26 years as a suburban councilman. He has received numerous awards including the International Toastmasters Community Service Award, the United Way Community Partner Award, the Ohio and Erie Canal Distinguished Service Award, the North Coast Homes Leadership Award, the Golden Age Centers Golden Achievement Award, the Ohio Homebuilders President’s Club Award and many others. A lifetime resident of the Cleveland area, Krulak attended Ohio State University, Mexico City College and Marquette University.

Charles D. Obert is vice president - corporate controller for Forest City Enterprises, Inc. He is responsible for the consolidated financial reporting provided to both internal and external users of Forest City’s financial information. Joining Forest City in August 2004, Obert served as assistant controller, where he was in charge of corporate external reporting, internal reporting and corporate SBU reporting. Obert also served as project lead for Forest City’s initial year of Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 compliance, which took place in fiscal 2004. Prior to joining Forest City, Obert was a senior manager for Grant Thornton, LLP, an international public accounting firm. During his 16 years in public accounting, he was responsible for auditing and consulting services for public and large private manufacturing, distribution and real estate clients. Obert is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and serves on the planning committee of the AICPA National Real Estate Conference. He is also a member of the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants and a member of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts. Obert is currently serving on the board of directors and audit committee of The Covenant Adolescent Chemical Dependency Treatment and Prevention Center, a non-profit organization that specializes in serving troubled adolescents. Obert has been on the board of directors of The Covenant in various positions for over 10 years, and was instrumental in identifying and acquiring the first permanent home for the organization. Obert attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he majored in both accounting and finance, earning a bachelor’s degree in business.

Nancy W. McCann Senior Vice President - Marketing and Public Relations, Forest City Enterprises, Inc. Nancy W. McCann is senior vice president - Marketing and Public Relations for Forest City Enterprises, Inc. She is responsible for Forest City's corporate marketing, advertising and public relations programs, which include the marketing of Forest City's real estate portfolio nationwide. McCann is known for her expertise in positioning shopping centers and entertainment destinations. She joined Forest City in 1989 as marketing vice president for Tower City Center in Cleveland. She was responsible for the marketing and 1990 grand opening of The Avenue urban retail center in downtown Cleveland. In 1995, she was promoted to vice president and director of marketing for Forest City Commercial Management, with the responsibility for overseeing marketing programs for all Forest City shopping centers. In 1999, she assumed the title of senior vice president of marketing for Forest City Commercial Management, adding all commercial properties to her marketing responsibilities. McCann assumed her current corporate marketing role in 2000. McCann was instrumental in the creation, development and success of the Shannon Rodgers, Jerry Silverman Kent State University Fashion Museum and its fashion design curriculum. She serves on the Boards of The Metro Health Foundation, University Circle, Inc., Musical Arts Association and Cleveland Film Society and is a member of the Junior League. She is president, treasurer of the J.P. Murphy and the Kulas Foundations, which provide grants for charitable, educational, musical and performing arts causes in Northeast Ohio. McCann graduated with a degree in executive management and merchandising in an innovative five-year curriculum created in conjunction with the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

Thomas T. Kmiecik is assistant treasurer of Forest City Enterprises, Inc. Kmiecik joined Forest City in 1998 as the assistant treasurer. He is primarily responsible for overseeing the Company’s treasury office and cash management department, including management of the company’s revolving credit facilities and short-term investments. He is also responsible for investor and shareholder relations -- specializing in institutional investor, rating agency and market analyst relations. Prior to joining Forest City, Kmiecik was a senior executive at First Union Real Estate Investments from 1984 to 1998, where he served as senior vice president-treasurer, vice president-treasurer, treasurer and assistant controller. Before that, he served four years as an auditor and certified public accountant (CPA) for Arthur Young & Co. Kmiecik is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trust (NAREIT), Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants (OSCPA) and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). He is also active in the United Way, Junior Olympics – Women’s Gymnastics and the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA). He graduated magna cum laude from Baldwin-Wallace College with a degree in business administration, concentrating in accounting and finance.

Deborah L. Harmon joined Forest City Enterprises Inc.’s board of directors in April 2008. Harmon is currently president of Harmon & Co., and principal of Caravel Management LLC. Harmon & Co. is an investment banking and asset management firm that provides strategic and financial advisory services to private and public institutions worldwide. Caravel Management LLC is a firm established to manage the Caravel Fund International Ltd., an emerging markets, long-only public equities fund. From 2001 through 2007, Harmon was president and chief investment officer of J.E. Robert Companies, a fully integrated real estate investment firm focused on managing a broad spectrum of global equity and debt products. In her 16 years at J.E. Robert Companies, Harmon established and expanded the global private equity platform to include eight funds composed of over 100 institutional and individual investors. She also spearheaded the acquisition of $27 billion in assets globally. Before joining J. E. Robert Companies, Harmon served as managing director of Bankers Trust Company, working in both the corporate finance and real estate groups. Harmon received a bachelor's degree from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She currently serves on the board of trustees for Sidwell Friends School and is chairperson of Sidwell's Investment Committee. She is a member of the School of Advanced International Studies Advisory Council at Johns Hopkins University and the Urban Land Institute.

Deborah Ratner Salzberg is president of Forest City Washington, Inc., and a director of Forest City Enterprises, Inc. Ratner Salzberg began her career with Forest City in 1985 and has worked in retail leasing and project development – including project zoning, financing and construction. Prior to joining Forest City, she was a trial attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Ratner Salzberg holds a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco and is a member of the California Bar. Ratner Salzberg is associated with numerous community, charitable and business organizations. Affiliations include: * Chairman of the American Committee of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Washington Region. * Board of trustees for Arena Stage. * Vice president, board of directors, for the District of Columbia Building Industry Council (DCBIA). * Board member and treasurer for the Foundation for the National Archives * Board member of Homes for Working Families. * Vice president for campaign and board member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. * National advisory board for the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies. * Board of trustees for Kenyon College. * Member of Lambda Alpha International, Greater Washington Chapter. * Board member of the Meyer Foundation. * Board member of the National Building Museum. * Member of the Washington Area Women’s Foundation. * Member of the Women’s Advisory Board of the National Girl Scouts.

Jerry V. Jarrett is a member of the board of directors of Forest City Enterprises, Inc. Jarrett is retired chairman and chief executive officer of Ameritrust Corporation. He received his bachelor's degree in marketing and accounting from the University of Oklahoma and completed the master's program in manufacturing and finance at Harvard Graduate School of Business. He has an honorary law degree from Baldwin-Wallace College.

Joan K. Shafran has served on Forest City Enterprises Inc.’s Board of Directors since 1996. Joan is executive managing partner for The Berimore Company and is COO for Powell Partners Ltd., both family owned investment businesses, with investments in commercial and residential real estate in the Midwest and in Massachusetts. Joan’s background includes 17 years of experience as an artist and designer, and she is one of the first graduates (1980) of the Visual Studies program at MIT (now the Media Lab), where she continued to teach until 1989. Joan also taught at the Boston Museum School, the Rhode Island School of Design and the Massachusetts College of Art. In 1986, she help found Do While Studio, a pioneering art and technology nonprofit organization that offers residencies to artists, as well as technology based community outreach. She currently is president of Do While’s Board. In addition to teaching, Joan consulted to the then emerging computer graphics industry, helping to analyze and define new design methodologies. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the University of Massachusetts, Boston, College of Nursing and Health Services; as co-vice chair for Goddard College; as a trustee for The Nathan and Fannye Shafran Foundation; and as co-president of The Joan Shafran and Robert Haimes Foundation. Joan has a Bachelor of Arts in Art Design from Goddard College and a Master of Science in Visual Studies/Media Technology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Louis Stokes, Esquire, is a member of the board of directors of Forest City Enterprises, Inc. Stokes is an attorney with Squire Sanders & Dempsey and a retired member of the U.S. Congress. He is also a member of the faculty at Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences as Distinguished Visiting Professor. Stokes was elected to Congress in 1968, making him the first African-American member of Congress from Ohio. He served 15 consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was the senior member of the Ohio congressional delegation, a founder of the Congressional Black Caucus, and was Chairman of The VA, HUD Subcommittee on Appropriations. When he retired from Congress, Stokes became the first African-American in the history of the U.S. Congress to retire having completed 30 years in office. Before serving in Congress, Stokes practiced law for 14 years and was one of the founders of Stokes, Character, Terry, Perry, Whitehead, Young and Davidson law firm. As a practicing lawyer, Stokes participated in three cases in the U.S. Supreme Court, one of which, Terry v Ohio, is a landmark case. Stokes is the recipient of 26 honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities across the nation, and several institutions, including Howard University and the National Institutes of Health, have recognized Stokes by naming certain buildings after him. Following three years of service in the United States Army, Stokes returned to Cleveland and attended Case Western Reserve University. He earned his law degree from Cleveland Marshall Law School.

Michael P. Esposito Jr. is a member of the board of directors of Forest City Enterprises, Inc. Until his retirement from XL Capital Ltd (NYSE: XL) on December 27, 2007, Esposito served as non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of XL, a provider of insurance and reinsurance coverage and financial products and services, since 1995 and as a director since 1986. Since 1997, he has served as a director of Annuity and Life Re (Holdings), Ltd., a life reinsurance company. Esposito served as Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Inter-Atlantic Capital Partners, Inc., an investment banking firm, from 1995 to 2000. In 2007, he became non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Security Capital Assurance Ltd. Esposito served as Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Compliance, Control and Administration Officer of The Chase Manhattan Corporation from 1991 to 1995, having previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 1987 to 1991. Other activities over the years include leadership positions within the Bank Administration Institute, American Bankers Association, Conference Board, Financial Accounting Standards Board, and Financial Executives Institute. He received his bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Notre Dame and his MBA from New York University. He also completed the Executive Program for Business at Columbia University. He was a lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Scott S. Cowen is a member of the board of directors of Forest City Enterprises, Inc. Cowen is Tulane University’s 14th President. He also holds joint appointments as the Seymour S. Goodman Memorial Professor of Business in Tulane's A.B. Freeman School of Business and Professor of Economics in its School of Liberal Arts. From his arrival at Tulane in 1998 until 2005, the university more than doubled its undergraduate applications, experienced all-time highs in student enrollment and quality, doubled the level of total private giving and received a record level of research awards. The university also implemented a number of innovative academic and research program initiatives and significantly increased its community outreach. In recognition of these and other efforts, Newsweek magazine listed Tulane University as one of the "hottest" schools in the U.S. in 2002. In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans, flooded two-thirds of Tulane’s campus and dispersed its students, faculty and staff around the country. Despite incurring more than $400 million in damage, Tulane, under Cowen’s leadership, was repaired, and a remarkable 87 percent of its students returned for classes in January of 2006. In order to ensure the university’s financial stability and secure its continuation as one of the nation’s leading universities, Cowen implemented a Renewal Plan. The Plan represents the most sweeping reorganization of an American university in more than a century. The Renewal Plan strengthens and focuses the university’s academic mission while strategically addressing its current and future operations in the post-Katrina era. It also includes the continuation of “Promise and Distinction: The Campaign for Tulane.” With a goal of raising $700 million by 2008, the campaign, launched March 17, 2005, is one of the largest university fundraising efforts in the history of Louisiana. In the aftermath of Katrina, Cowen has emerged as one of the primary leaders in the recovery of New Orleans. In addition to reopening Tulane, the city’s largest employer, taking the lead in reopening the city’s first post-Katrina public school and helping other New Orleans institutions such as Xavier and Dillard universities recover, Cowen chaired the education subcommittee of Mayor C. Ray Nagin’s Bring New Orleans Back Commission. The subcommittee presented a plan to city and state leaders designed to rebuild and transform the city’s public schools into a model system. Cowen is also the co-founder of the Fleur-de-lis Ambassadors program, a group of civic leaders dedicated to letting the nation know that post-Katrina New Orleans is an economically viable, livable city. Even before Katrina, Cowen was a leader on the national stage. In June 2003, he invited his fellow university leaders to join together in a national effort to reform intercollegiate athletics and ensure that their sports programs are consistent with the values, missions and aspirations of their institutions. This effort included working to alter the Bowl Championship Series arrangement to minimize, if not eliminate, its adverse impact on Division I-A intercollegiate athletics, requesting that the NCAA adopt policies and procedures that support higher academic standards and asking the NCAA to reconsider the appropriateness and cost implications of Division I-A membership criteria. Cowen has also held several leadership positions in national academic and professional associations. He is a past board member of the American Council on Education, a past member of its Nominating Committee and Executive Committee and was Chair of the Planning Committee for its 2003 annual meeting. He is also a former board member of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, a former member of the NCAA board and its executive committee and past president of the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business. He is currently chair of the Conference USA Board of Directors and a member of the Mayor’s National Film Advisory Board. Besides his achievements in the academic world, Cowen also has extensive experience in business as a corporate director and consultant. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Newell Rubbermaid Inc., American Greetings Corporation, Jo-Ann Stores Inc. and Forest City Enterprises Inc. He has served as a consultant to dozens of companies, from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies. In addition, he sits on several community boards, including the New Orleans Business Council, Committee For A Better New Orleans and Greater New Orleans Inc. Cowen came to Tulane in 1998 from Case Western Reserve University where he was a member of the faculty for 23 years and Dean and Albert J. Weatherhead III Professor of Management at its Weatherhead School of Management for 14 years.

Stan Ross is a member of the board of directors of Forest City Enterprises, Inc. Ross is widely recognized for his experience in strategic planning for real estate companies with his expertise in mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations and the development of creative financial structures. He was involved in the initial organization of the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC), and was a member of the Auditing Standards Board of the AICPA, which sets the auditing rules for the accounting profession. He is chairman of the board and senior fellow at the University of Southern California Lusk Center for Real Estate. He is retired vice chairman of real estate industry services for Ernst & Young and a former member of E&Y's Management Committee, which sets policy and strategy for the firm. He had also been managing partner of the Ernst & Young Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group, where he was responsible for its overall business planning, strategy, direction and operations. Ross is an honorary trustee and governor of the Urban Land Institute and a trustee of Baruch College, from which he graduated in 1956. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from Baruch in 1999. In 2004, he was inducted into the California Building Industry Foundation’s Hall of Fame. Ross has written a book titled The Inside Track to Careers in Real Estate, which was published by the Urban Land Institute in March 2006. He was recently appointed Distinguished Fellow of USC’s School of Policy, Planning & Development.